Supporting device for sliding drawers.



' m 40,337. 'PATENTBD SEPT 29,-19os.. I F. TRAMBLAY.

SUPPORTING DEVIGB FOR SLIDING DRAWERS.

. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9. 1902.

no .KQDEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTBD SEPT. 29, 1903.

F. TRAMB'LAY. SUPPORTING DBVIGE'FOB. SEEING DRAWERS.

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H0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

are. 740,337.

. UNITED STATES Patented September 29, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE;

SUPPORTING DEVICE FOR SLIDING DRAWERS'.

SPEGIFiCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 740,337, dated September 29, 1903.

' Application filed June 9, 1902. Serial No. 1103724. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FELIX TRAMBLAY, of

Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Supporting Devices for Sliding Drawers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and

exact description thereof, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. V

This invention relates to improvements in supporting devices for drawers of filing-cases,

inafter set forth, and more particularly point-.

ed outin the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fragment of a piece of furnituresuch as a desk, filing-case, or the likeshow= ing a portion of the compartment which receives the drawer and also illustrating the drawer in its open position and supported by the devices constituting my invention. Fig.

2 is a horizontal fragmentary section taken through the walls of the dra wer-compartment,

showing a fragmentary part of the drawer in top plan and the position of the drawer-supporting devices when the drawer is closed. Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is a cross-section taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of one of the supporting-bars constituting part of the drawer-supporting devices. Fig. 6 is an edge elevation of the part shown in Fig. 5.

As shown in said drawings, A designates afragment of a desk, filing-cabinet, or other piece of furniture having side walls A A and a back wall A constituting a compartment for the drawer.

B designates a drawer of usual form having side walls 6 I), end walls 11 b and a bottom wall 5 and made of a width to fit closely between the side walls A of the compartment. Said drawer, is supported either on runways located at the side Walls of the compartment in a familiar manner or, as herein shown, on a horizontal board or plate A which constitutes the horizontal partition between the compartment for one drawer and a compartment for a drawer beneath the same. So far as the construction of the drawer and the compartment for receiving the same is concerned and thus far described'said construction may consistof any of the wellknown or preferred types.

The improvements constituting my invention consist of devices which are designed to horizontally support the drawer when it is fully opened, whereby access may he had to the rear end of the drawer for consulting papers or other articles located therein, said supporting devices being so constructed and arranged as to firmly support the drawer in its outermost position and prevent the same from falling out or dropping away from its compartment. Said supporting devices consist in general terms of two bars C 0, located one on each side of the drawer and occupyingand having longitudinal slidingengagement with grooves A A in the inner faces of the side walls of the drawer-compartment. Said bars are fitted in said grooves so as to move freely endwise therein, but are held from lateral displacement. One means for elfecting this result and which is herein illustrated is to make the grooves of undercut cross-section and to shape the bars so as to fit closely in said undercut grooves. Said snp--- porting-bars are adapted to engag'eat their outer ends hooks D, attached to the outer faces of the side walls of the drawer, said hooks opening downwardly and the bars entering the same from below. Said bars are made thinner and narrower at their outer ends than at their inner ends, and, as herein shown, the increased'thickness of the bars is produced by longitudinally-folding strips 0 about the rear ends of the main bodies 0 of the bars. The larger; rear ends of the bars (it closely in the grooves A in the side walls of the drawer-compartment, thgreby establishing the interfittiug relation between said parts, which allows free endwise movement of the bars, but prevents lateral displacement thereof. The forwarder narrower portions 0 of the bars occupy and have freelysliding engagement with the hooks D, and said outer ends of the bars are provided with short lateral inwardlyextending stop-lugs 0 which prevent the hooks from being drawn over the ends of the bars and released therefrom. As herein shown, said stop-lugs c are formed by slitting the end portions of the bars and folding the parts between said slits inwardly. The shanks d of said hooks are offset outwardly, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, so as to bring the hook portions thereof in line with the narrower outer parts 0 of the supporting-bars. Said grooves A of the side walls of the compartment are not made of the same depth from front to rear there of, but are made-shallower near their forward ends, thereby providing in each of said grooves rearwardly-facing shoulders a, as most clearlyshown in Fig. 2. The supporting-bars O are provided at their rear ends with outwardly-eXtendingstop-lugs c ,which are adapted to engage the shoulders a to limit the endwise movement of the supporting-bars in said grooves A Said lugs may be attached to or formed on the bars in anysuitable manner. As herein shown, they consist of short screw-threaded pins, which engage screw-threaded apertures in said bars. The supportingbars .are inserted endwise through the forward ends of the grooves A before the stop lugs or pins 0 are placed therein, and when the openings in the rear ends of said bars are thrust past the shoulders a of said grooves said lugs or pins are inserted into said openings. The said shoulders a and the supporting-hooks D on the drawer are so spaced with respect to each other that when the drawer is withdrawn to the limit of its movement the stop-lugs 0 engage the shoulder a, and the stop-lugs en-' gage the forward margins of the hooks D and limit'the movement of the said drawer before the rear end thereof haspassed beyond the forward end of its compartment. As herein shown, the weight of the drawer and its contents is supported upon the horizontal partition A and said drawer-supporting devices constituting my invention are not brought into use until the drawer is pulled outwardly past its longitudinal center line and thence to its limit of movement;

When the drawer is drawn outwardly to open the same, the outward movement thereof is limited by the stop-lugs a being brought into contact with the shoulders at of the grooves A and the stop-lugs 0 being brought against the side margins of the hooks D. The rear end of the drawer is at this time completely withdrawn from its compartment and is therefore in position for papers or other articles in the rear end of the drawer to be readily consulted. In closing the drawer the bars 0 are forced entirely into the grooves A being forced thereinto either by engagement of the outer ends of the bars with the lateral flanges on the front end of the drawer, as shown in Fig. 2, or by engagement of the hooks D with the shoulders between the larger and smaller parts of the bars. When the drawer is closed, the hooks D pass into the forward ends of the grooves A, and the thickness of the supporting-hooks is slightly less than that of the parts 0 constituting the rear enlarged ends ofthe bars, so that said hooks may pass freely into the grooves A without contact with the end margins of said side walls.

The construction shown is applicable for all kinds of drawers to enable the same to be freely opened to permit access to the drawer throughout its length. {Said construction is, however, particularly applicable for use in connection with drawers for filing-cabinets wherein the papers to be filed are :contained in folders which are placed edgewise or vertically in drawers. In such filing devices the drawers are filled from front to rear with said folders, each folder occupying a permanent place in the drawer, and in order to readily consult the real-most folders the drawer must be fully opened. If no means be provided forsupporting the drawer in its open position, the outer end thereof needs to be sustained in a horizontal position by the use of one hand of the person consulting the files, and there is great liability of the drawer being pulled too far outwardly and falling out of its compartment. Moreover, when the drawer is su pported as herein shown both hands of the person using the same are free to be employed for consulting the files.

If it be desired to completely detach the drawer from a cabinet, desk, or the like of which it forms a part, this may be readily done by pulling the drawer outwardly to its limit and raising the front end thereof, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, to detach the 'hooks from the supporting-bars, the drawer being at this time free to be lifted or. detached from its supports. ing the drawer on the supporting-bars is obviously the reverse of the detaching operation just described.

An important; advantage of the construction shown is that the supporting devices do not necessitate providing spaces between the drawer and the side walls of the compartment, the side walls of the drawer being adapted to fit closely between the side walls of the compartment, as in the construction of ordinary drawers. The supporting devices add but little to the cost of the construction of which the drawer or drawers constitute a part, and said devices are so arranged as to afiord ample strength for supporting heavy drawers.

It is obvious that many changes may be madein the structural details illustrated without departing from the spirit of my inven tion, and I do not wish to be limited to such details except as hereinafter made the subject of specific claims. For instance, the

guides or grooves which receive the supporting-bars may be made of metal and set into and fastened in grooves in the side walls of the compartment made to receive the same.

I claim as my invention- 1. Meansforsupportingadrawerin its open position comprising in combination with the The operation of replac-- stops on the drawer and with those in the grooves for limiting the opening movement of the drawer.

2. Means forsupportingadrawerinits open position comprising, in combination with the drawer having plain or unbroken side walls and its compartment, the side walls of which compartment are provided with longitudinal grooves, supporting bar s occupying said grooves and sliding end wise therein and hooks on the side walls of the drawer with which the outer ends of the bars have sliding and supporting engagement, said hooks being received by said grooves when the drawer is in its closed position.

3. Means forsupportingadrawerin its open position comprising, in combination with the drawer and its compartment, the side walls of which compartment are provided with longitudinal grooves having stopshoulders,sup-. porting-bars occupying said grooves and sliding endwise therein, hooks on the side walls of the drawer with which the'outer ends of the bars have sliding and supporting engage ment, said hooks being received by said grooves when the drawer is in its closed position, and stops on front and rear ends of the bars adapted to engage respectively said hooks and said stop-shoulders in said grooves to limit the opening movement of the drawer.

4- Means for supportinga drawerin its open position comprising, in combination with the drawer and its compartment, the side Walls of which compartment are provided with longitudinal grooves, supporting bars located wholly outside of the outer planes of the side walls of the drawer and occupying said grooves, and sliding endwise therein, means for detachably and slidingly connecting the forward ends of the bars with the drawer and stops on the bars for limiting the outward movement of the drawer, said drawer being detachable from the bars when the drawer occupies its outermost position by raising the outer end of the drawer upwardly from said bars. I

5. Meansforsupportingadrawerinitsopen position comprising, in combination with the drawer and its compartment, the side walls of which compartment are provided with longitudinal grooves, stop shoulders' in said grooves, supporting bars occupying said grooves and sliding endwise therein, downwardly-opening hooks on the side walls of the drawer with which the outer ends of the bars have sliding and supporting engagement, and stops on front and rear ends of the bars, which coact respectively with said hooks and said shoulders in the grooves for limiting the outward movement of the drawer, said hooks being received by said grooves when the drawer is in its closed position and being adapted for disengagement with the bars,when the drawer occupies the outer limit of its movement, by raising the outer end of the drawer.

6. Means for supporting a drawerin its open position comprising, in combination with the drawer and its compartment, the latter provided with side walls with longitudinal grooves said drawer laterally filling said compartment, supporting bars located wholly outside the planes of the outer faces of the side walls of the drawer and occupying and sliding endwise in said grooves, means for supporting the outer end of the drawer on said bars and stops on said bars for-limiting the outward movement of'the drawer.

7. Means for supporting a drawerin it closed position comprising, in combination with a drawer and its compartment, the latter being provided in its side walls with longitudinal grooves having stop-shoulders, supporting-bars having longitudinally-sliding engagement with said grooves, the inner ends of said bars being made wider and deeper than the outer ends thereof, books on the side walls of the drawer and engaging the smaller, outer ends of said supporting-bars, said hooks being received by said grooves when the drawer is closed, and stops on the front and. rear ends of said bars adapted to engage respectively said hooks and the stop-shoulders in saidgrooves to limit the outward movement of said drawer.

8. Meansforsupportingadrawerinitsopen position comprising, in combination with a drawer and its compartment, the latter being provided in the side walls with longitudinal grooves having stop-shoulders, supportingbars occupying said grooves, said-bars comprising straight parts 0 and strips 0 folded about the inner ends thereof to constitute-the larger inner ends of said bars and which have close sliding engagement with the grooves, and hooks on the side walls of said drawer which are engaged by the outer ends of the parts 0 of the bars, said hooks being made of a less thickness than the parts 0 of the bars, whereby said hooks may freely enter said grooves when the drawer is closed, and stops on the bars for limiting the outward move ment of the drawer.

In testimonythat I claim the foregoing as my invention 1 affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 6th day of June, A. D. 1902.

FELIX TRAMBLAY.

W'itnesses':

WILLIAM L. HALL, GERTRUDE BRYCE. 

